Biology

A completely fabricated condition, crafted from racist medical biases, still corrupts the criminal justice system today

A Doctor Who superfan explains how the unusual cardiovascular system of the alien Time Lords could evolve and function

Gray whales in a small group that sticks close to the shores of the Pacific Northwest appear to be shrinking—and shockingly quickly

Sweltering heat in Greece, ozone-damaging chemicals on the decline and an investigation of what space does to our body are all in this week’s news roundup.

A microbe can grow a neck that is 30 times as long as its body in just a few seconds. Origami folding explains how

Millions of hand-size Joro spiders are moving up the East Coast. Don’t panic

By performing tricks for birds, monkeys and other creatures, researchers hope to learn how they perceive and think about their world

Female elephants address one another with individualized rumbles

Zoë Schlanger’s new book The Light Eaters explores the surprising science of plant intelligence.

Why are bears both adorable and deadly? Scientific American investigates why these apex predators are “friend-shaped”

Most orangutans take seven years to learn to make their own beds

Cuckoos are “nest pirates” that lay their eggs in other birds’ nests, setting off an evolutionary arms race that leads to the development of new species